The invention relates to a golf club head with selectable loft and lie angulation. More particularly, the invention is related to a multi-piece metal wood golf club head construction including a body with a through-bore and a shaft-receiving hosel disposed therein.
Golf players vary in size, dexterity, style, and preference and, therefore, different golf equipment suits the needs of different players. To meet these needs, golf club manufacturers produce clubs in various sizes configurations, including different head sizes, shaft lengths, and weighting. Depending on skill level and personal characteristics, players having the same height and arm length may prefer to use clubs having different shaft lengths for a given head design, or clubs having different head-to-shaft angles and displacements for a given shaft design. Enhanced performance may be realized with equipment having suitably matched shaft length with respect to both the geometric configuration of the head and the individual player characteristics.
Traditional metal wood golf clubs typically include a hollow metal wood head that is secured to a shaft at a shaft-receiving socket, the hosel, which is generally formed on the top back side of the club head. The shaft of such clubs is inserted tightly into the hosel, and epoxy is used to bond the components together. Given the tight fitting sockets of traditional hosel designs, customizing a club to fit a particular golfer usually involves a compromise: the head is chosen to approximate desired angles and displacements, and the shaft length is tailored to the individual regardless of the effect on the optimum ball-striking position of the head.
To obviate such a compromise, a series of club heads may be manufactured with ranges of angles and displacements from which to select. However, the production inefficiencies and concomitant costs for such a club series would be relatively high and manufacturers may be unwilling or unable to provide such variety to the market. In addition, professional golfers occasionally require angles and displacements that are not even available from existing series"" molds and thus delivery of custom cast club heads may be unacceptably delayed.
Despite these developments, there remains a need for golf club components hat allow a custom-fit club to be produced. In particular, there is a need for a golf club head that can be formed from several components that may be coupled together based on a layer""s ability, preferences, and personal characteristics. More particularly, there is a need for a golf club with a construction permitting selectable lie attitudes and face attitudes.
The present invention is related to a golf club that includes a metal wood club head with a body having a face, a neck, a crown, and a sole. The golf club also includes a hosel receiving tube having a first portion at the sole and a second portion proximate the neck, a hosel configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel receiving tube, and an elongate shaft configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel. The hosel has a substantially oblong and tapered geometry and is insertable into the hosel receiving tube from the sole. The hosel receiving tube may be continuous.
The hosel may further include a top face and bottom face, with the bottom face resting flush with the sole when the hosel is fully disposed in the hosel receiving tube. The neck may further include a top edge, and the top face of the hosel may be disposed below the top edge, proximate the top edge, or above the top edge when inserted into the hosel receiving tube. If the top face of the hosel is above the top edge of the neck, the hosel may extend between about 0.075 inch and about 0.15 inch above the top edge.
The top face and bottom face of the hosel may be disposed in transverse planes. The top face may have a first center point, the bottom face may have a second center point, and a central axis may be disposed along the first and second center points with the shaft being disposed in the hosel bore along a hosel bore axis. The hosel bore axis may be transverse or parallel to the central axis. The hosel may abut a bore in the hosel receiving tube in a single orientation. Using the hosels, the golf club may have a lie angle between about 40xc2x0 and about 70xc2x0. Also using the hosels, the golf club may have a loft of between about 5xc2x0 and about 40xc2x0.
At least one of the hosel receiving tube and sole may be configured and dimensioned to positively engage the hosel. Such positive engagement may be provided by a keyed portion of the hosel receiving tube that mates with a keyway. The hosel may be adhesively secured within the hosel receiving tube, and may be formed of at least one of cellulose, glass-filled ABS, graphite, thermoplastics, titanium, or aluminum.
A ferrule may be provided which is configured and dimensioned to receive the shaft and at least one of the neck and hosel. In some embodiments, the ferrule includes a rounded lower, outer edge, with the outer edge mating with a rounded shoulder proximate a top edge of the neck. The ferrule also may have a straight sidewall.
The hosel may be configured and dimensioned to change the lie of the golf club, the face attitude of the golf club, or both the lie and face attitude of the golf club.
The present invention also is related to a golf club including a metal wood club head with a body having a face, a neck, a crown, and a sole. The golf club also includes a hosel receiving tube having a first portion at the sole and a second portion at the neck, a hosel configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel receiving tube, an elongate shaft configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel, and a ferrule having a rounded lower, outer edge, the ferrule being configured and dimensioned to abut the shaft and the neck. The hosel has an oblong and tapered geometry and is insertable into the hosel receiving tube from the sole. The outer edge of the ferrule mates with a rounded shoulder proximate a top edge of the neck.
In addition, the present invention is related to a golf club including a club head with a body having a face, a neck, a crown, and a sole. The golf club also includes a hosel receiving tube having a first portion at the sole and a second portion at the neck. Further, the golf club includes a hosel configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel receiving tube, the hosel having a substantially oblong and tapered geometry, an upper face defining a first area and a lower face defining a second area. In addition, the golf club includes an elongate shaft configured and dimensioned to be received in the hosel. The hosel is insertable into the hosel receiving tube from the sole, the lower face of the hosel rests flush with the sole when the hosel is inserted into the tube bore, the second area is greater than the first area, and the club head is a driver or a wood.